Interview with Andrzej Czernecki, the Mayor of Jasło.

In 1st July 2014 the amendments on regional investment aid came into force. The Podkarpacie region is one of the regions with the highest (50%) of the regional aid threshold. Do you think that it will be translated into higher attractiveness of Jasło for investors?

Investors have been interested in Jasło for a long time, and we have observed the significant increase of investments in 2014. The Industrial Development Agency JSC, the manager of the Tarnobrzeg Special Economic Zone EURO-PARK WISŁOSAN, having conducted prognoses aimed at indicating of enterprises which would be granted the permission to run their business at the Jasło Subzone territory, issued three permissions. Therefore, up to 2016 investments worth 107.5 mln PLN will be realised in Jasło meaning 141 new jobs created. In autumn in the Jasło Subzone of the Tarnobrzeg SEZ the state-of-the-art furniture (the most modern in Europe) production facility of the Nowy Styl Group will be opened. Investment is worth around 120 mln PLN, and the excepted number of new jobs amounts to 90. Moreover, the Group Tarkett invested in Jasło in 2014. We hope that the tendency will be maintained and investors will choose Jasło as the location for their investments more often.

The end of the first half of 2014 brought a lot of investments in special economic zones, also in Jasło. How many investment sites have left within the Jasło Subzone of the Tarnobrzeg SEZ, and are there any plans to extend the subzone?

The area of the sites covered by the Jasło Subzone of the Tarnobrzeg SEZ is almost 40 ha. Currently, around 10 ha are available in three locations belonging to the top Jasło companies. Moreover, at the beginning of the year we applied to join an investment site of 2.97 ha owned by Jasło to the Tarnobrzeg SEZ. We hope that the final decision will be in favour.

Apart from SEZ what kind of sites does the city own and what percentage is covered with the local site development plan?

The area of available investment sites outside SEZ is 52 ha. They belong both to the city and local companies and are described in details on www.jaslo.pl. I would like to add that the area of Jasło is covered with local site development plans – 95% of areas aimed at investments have the adequate lsdp.

What kind of investors are you looking for in Jasło and what are the city’s major advantages?

Undoubtedly, the Jasło’s major strength is human resources due to both the large number of unemployed (in 2013 the unemployment rate was 18.3 %) and well-developed base of primary schools, junior high schools, high schools, and universities. High schools in Jasło have wide education offer and 1200 graduates leave them every year. Moreover, one should note competitive labour costs (an average salary in the Jasło poviat amounts to the 78% of the national average and 93% of the podkarpackie average salary), location along the important road routes (national road DK 28 and national road DK 73) and railway lines (no. 108 and no. 106), and favourable geographical location with respect to the distance to Central and Eastern European markets. Since 2002 we had ISO 9001:2008 which ensures effective and professional customer service. The average period of case accomplishment for the Jasło City Hall in 2011-2013 was 3.57 days. What is more, we are well-disposed for investors, we understand their needs, and try to support them during the investment process. Due to the aforementioned and other factors Jasło attracted well-known companies operating on international markets, including: Nowy Styl, Polwax S.A., Naturex S.A., a French capital group, Orion Engineered Carbons, a German capital group, or Tarkett, mentioned before.

What other incentives, apart from zone exemptions, can Jasło offer to investors?

In 2011 the Jasło City Council made the resolution on real estate tax exemption for companies creating new jobs with respect to new investment. Currently, we have been preparing a draft of the new resolution in this area; moreover, the Jasło authorities are open to hold talks with investors on other forms of help within the scope.
In summer the construction of the part of the road KDL 1 to investment sites in Jasło was finished. What kind of opportunities does it mean for companies?
The construction of the part of the road KDL 1 is one of the elements of the city’s pro-investment policy where in last years one allocated 12.37 mln PLN (4.13 PLN co-financed) for land development and accessibility (roads, car parks, teletechnical infrastructure, street lights) of the Jasło-Warzyce Business Activity Zone (SAG). The SAG’s area is 256 ha where 200 ha were devoted to industrial activities. The zone’s area is covered by the local site development plan. The development of SAG is of crucial importance for the Jasło’s prosperity. With respect to the above one consistently implements tasks aimed at preparation of the SAG’s industrial areas for investments.

You also planned the 2nd stage of the road construction. Could you give some details about the deadline, costs, and date of the selection of a general contractor?

The 2nd part of the KDL1 road construction is planned in 2015-2018, and the investment costs will amount to around 12.5 mln PLN, so we hope to obtain UE funds in the upcoming financial perspective 2014-2020. A general contractor should be selected according to the public procurement procedures in the investment preparation phase.

One of the things investors consider, apart from investment site development, is availability of qualified human resources in a region. Does the city offer investors some support in looking for employees?

Jasło enjoys rich and well-founded industrial traditions, for example, in oil and gas industry, chemical industry, glass production industry, machine industry, food industry, and furniture production industry; and it offers skilled and experienced human resources. Moreover, the Regional Centre of Modern Technology Transfer operates in the city with modern laboratories and workshops equipped in the latest machines providing practical education within innovative technologies and, at the same time, preparation of specialised personnel according to the demand of the local companies. Moreover, small distance to Krosno (20 km) and Gorlice (30 km) plays also important role in human resource availability and mobility. What is more, as the Mayor of Jasło, I declare personal commitment and help with contacting the Poviat Labour Office in Jasło to obtain qualified workers.